Carmelo Anthony has found his clutch gene again

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New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony (7) reacts after hitting a three point shot in the first half of the Knicks NBA basketball game Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2013, in New York. Amthony scored 19 points i the Knicks 113-83 victory over the Nets. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Carmelo Anthony shoots a 3-pointer over the Kings’ Rudy Gay.

There is a toughness flowing from Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks.

And that is beginning to make a difference.

Sure, the Knicks still have a way of falling asleep in games and Sunday night at the Garden they watched a 21-point lead shrink to one, but while DeMarcus Cousins was not able to hit two big shots down the stretch for the Kings, there was Anthony sinking a vital 3-pointer and a running jumper to make the difference as the Knicks came away with the 106-98 victory.

And this was a game Anthony had to leave for a bit in the first quarter after taking a shot to the mouth, jamming his teeth into his lower lip.

Lately he really is becoming Mr. Big Shot for the Knicks, and not just because he has big restaurant plans in his future.

“It was good, man,’’ Anthony said of his clutch performance on a most draining night. “They passed it to me, I made it. You could say a lot when you make the shot. I made those shots, they went in. My teammates felt confident enough to give me the ball in those positions.’’

During this streak, Anthony hit big shots in the final minute in three games. He has more bounce to his game this season with healthy legs and it is paying off in the biggest of moments.

“[Anthony] didn’t get many shots early in the game, but he didn’t panic about it, he didn’t start forcing things,’’ coach Jeff Hornacek said. “And there he is making a couple of big ones late in the fourth.’’

Anthony made the shots he had to make as he finished 8-for-20 from the field with three 3-pointers.

The Knicks had to show toughness too to stand up to the beast that is Cousins, who finished with 36 points and 12 rebounds while taking 30 shots, including 10 3-pointers in 44 minutes.

“This was a physical game, especially with DeMarcus out there,” Anthony said. “He is a physical guy. He demands physicality down there and we had to adjust to that game.’’

Hornacek says he wants the Knicks to get a killer instinct, but that comes over time. For now the Knicks will take ugly wins any day of the week as they moved to 11-9.

“You can’t ease up,’’ Hornacek said of learning how to put a team away. “That’s a little bit of a tendency that we have.’’

To say the least.

“That’s the next step for our team,’’ Anthony said. “To figure out how we are going to close games out, not close games out, but extend leads. We’ll become a much better team when we are able to do that.’’

Trust is the teammate every winning team must have, trust has to be there every night, even when the shots don’t fall.

Hornacek wants all the Knicks to shoot the open shot. He really does. Eleven Knicks got in the game and all 11 scored, including 19 must-have points off the bench from Brandon Jennings. The Knicks bench doubled the Kings bench in scoring, 44-22.

“The thing I would probably say is that some of the guys knowing that we are not going to get on them if they take a shot when they are open,’’ Hornacek said of what his team has learned about him his first 20 games on the job.

With the Knicks leading, 96-94 and 3:24 left, Anthony drained a huge 3. Then with 34.5 seconds remaining Anthony scored on a running jump shot that put the Knicks on top, 103-96.

“I’ll sleep well tonight,’’ Anthony said of his 36 minutes of physical play.

He should. His big shots of late are putting opponents to sleep at the end. Mr. Big Shot is leading the way.